Rhubarb Bread w/ Coconut Cashew Cream

I took a few days off last week and went to my family’s summer house. It’s only a couple hours from here, so it’s the perfect getaway when I need a change of scenery. Working from home is great but also tough at the same time, especially in a small apartment. So every now and then I need to go somewhere to clear my head. The heatwave arrived at the same time and as I noticed, sunshine and my laptop do not work well together. So the choice was easy: I ditched my laptop (and work) and settled into a sunbed instead. And just laid there and relaxed. Did nothing, except talked to myself a bit. Soaked up all the warmth and sunshine and its nourishing energy. And realized that I never do that anymore. Just be, without the need of ‘achieving something’ or doing something ‘productive’. And the feeling of not doing anything is actually so great, and so relaxing. Of course, taking a break in the middle of the week is not possible most of the time, but luckily these moments can happen any day, anywhere. So I decided to have them more often. Surely the warm sunshine makes it all better, as it just makes you wanna lay in the grass :)

On that same trip I also visited my grandmother’s garden, which I’ve loved since I was a kid. She had bought a sparkling strawberry drink for us, most of the flowers were blooming, and the rhubarbs were huge. I mean gigantic. They were more like umbrellas with their huge leaves. I took a bunch of them with me back home so that I could cook something with them. To be honest, I’m always kind of clueless when it comes to cooking rhubarb, never knowing what to make. Besides making ice cream (our book has a yummy strawberry rhubarb ice cream!), I haven’t done much with it. But as the stalks were getting older and older in our fridge, I decided to try the first thing that came to my mind: rhubarb bread!

This one’s actually more like a cake, but in the form of a bread. The idea of rhubarb in a bread was just so tempting, that I had to try it. The end result? A very moist summer bread that can be cut into thick slices and savored as it is, or with a super creamy coconut cashew cream that’s delicious on top of everything. I also added some mashed strawberries on top of my slice, which made it even more summer-y and very tasty. I had my slices almost right after baking but it’s almost even better on the following day.

To make the bread, I used gluten-free oat flour and brown rice flour, which are my favorites in gluten-free baked goods. But you could swap the rice flour to almond flour or any other you like and the applesauce could be replaced with mashed bananas, if you’re feeling like it. And to give you more options, you could make muffins from the batter too! But I strongly recommend not to skip the crumble that comes on top of the bread, as it’s crunchy, very delicious, and makes the whole thing look pretty.

Eat well and take it easy, friends! xo

Gluten-free Rhubarb Bread w/ Coconut Cashew Cream

notes: you can make your own oat flour by grinding rolled oats into fine flour in a blender. I always make a big batch of it so it’s easy to use in all kind of gluten-free baking.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients, mix well and set aside.

2. Add eggs, applesauce, coconut oil, honey and oat milk into a blender and blend until smooth. You can naturally mix them by hand too, but I like to just throw them into the blender. Pour the wet mixture from the blender to the the mixing bowl and stir. Add the chopped rhubarb and mix well.

3. Grease the loaf pan with coconut oil or line with baking paper to avoid sticking. Pour the batter to the loaf pan and use a spoon or a spatula to smooth out the surface. Mix together all the crumble ingredients and cover the batter with the mixture evenly.

4. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the bread has a golden brown color and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving. Serve with the Coconut Cashew Cream and strawberry mash and enjoy!

Coconut Cashew Cream

1. Add the cashews into a big bowl, cover with water, and soak for at least 4 hours. Drain and rinse and place to a blender. Add coconut milk, vanilla, and honey and blend until very smooth. Taste, and add more sweetener if desired.

2. Transfer to a glass jar or cup and place in the fridge for a few hours to set. The cream can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.